Priya Dialani:
Businesses today are constantly challenged by changing conditions and consumer expectations. Fortunately, there’s still a thorough way to transform the company and provide products offered electronically that is to move your business to eCommerce with an advanced eCommerce ecosystem. Whatever your business, eCommerce offers exciting new potential to expand and gain a competitive advantage.

Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of the Analytics Insight Podcast, where we talk about the ever-evolving tech space and I’m your host, Priya Dialani. Now, the pandemic has definitely magnified a previous trend in which many traditional corporations have tried to create or participate in digital ecosystems only to fall short. These ecosystems consist of interconnected sets of services through which users fulfill a variety of cross-sector needs in one integrated experience.

Today’s dominant ecosystems were launched by tech companies giant tech companies which have used hyperscale platforms to compete with, disintermediate and often substitute for the offerings of traditional competitors by controlling customer interfaces and control points such as search, advertising, and messaging. So how do these new ecosystems work, to shed light on this let’s welcome Sameer Kanodia, Managing Director and CEO of Lumina Datamatics. Hi Sameer, how are you doing?

Sameer Kanodia:
Very good, Priya. Thank you so much for having me on this podcast.

Priya Dialani:
Great. It’s a pleasure to have you today on the podcast and today we are going to talk a lot around eCommerce, around the publishing industry, you know how the eCommerce industry is going to change in the coming year. What companies should be doing in order to survive in the era which is truly truly driven by the online shopping and eCommerce platform but before we dive deeper into our conversation we would like to know more about Lumina Datamatics it would be great if you know you would brief us about the company its specialization any particular solution the company is offering

Sameer Kanodia:
Well, Lumina Datamatics is a global content and technology partner for publishers and retailers. We provide end-to-end content services, eCommerce support, and technology solutions. Our clients include nine of the world’s top ten largest publishers and three of the top five global retailers. We’re amongst the five largest players in the industry, we have about 7,000 employees and we have operations locations across India, we also have presence in the Philippines, Europe, and the U.S.A

Priya Dialani:
Great thank you for that wonderful introduction, Sameer very crisp and it’s been very on point I am sure our listeners will definitely now have a clear understanding of the foundation you are built on and it sets the perfect stage for us to dive deeper in today’s conversation. Let’s move ahead and explore more about your expertise Sameer. You’ve more than 20 years of experience in publishing industry and you know serving across different objectives and goals but we would like to know more about you Sameer how has the journey till date and you know and what exactly your roles and contribution towards the company.

Sameer Kanodia:
Well, it’s been an exciting journey over last three decades. I’ve been with the company for more than 30 years I am part of the promoter family. As the Managing Director and CEO, I provide the necessary strategic direction towards the overall growth and well-being of the company. So I generally work very collaboratively and draw conclusions in a very consultatively manner the decisions that I have taken at the helm have got a long term impact and have a compounding effect.

So, at a macro level, I focus on three imperatives: I always look ahead of the curve. We setting the product and platform roadmap that moves us from being a service company to a solutions partner. Scaling intelligently. We invest in global talent and a delivery capacity globally . As I said we’ve got multiple locations or operations in India. We also have a presence in the US , Europe and the Philippines. And of course, finally building on trust and scale. So our customers treat us as partners and we share a mutually rewarding relationship. So we have remained financially sound. We have invested in technology and have made significant acquisitions. At the same time we have remained quality conscious. We have gained market share and we have maintained the highest level of governance. We take our acquisitions very seriously. We take we grow organically and inorganically and we have made some very strategic acquisitions in the last few years. My proudest moment has been that the culture in Lumina Datamatics is quite different form most organizations. We have a sense of ownership across 7,000 employees and 7,000 professionals worldwide. We have decentralized entire decisions and process so people feel empowered to do the right things for the organization.

Priya Dialani:
Great that is wonderful to hear Sameer and thank you for sharing that. It is pretty clear that your goal goes far beyond just core responsibilities. Its more about driving the impact and shaping the vision of the company. Truly a very inspiring journey. I must say, building on that lets dive into our core conversation today. Now people sill want the tv and movie experience offered by traditional studios but social platforms are becoming competitive for the entertainment time and even more competitive for the business model that studios have relied on. Now social video platforms offer seemingly endless variety of free content algorithmically optimized for engagement and advertising. Now they make or adopt or integrate advanced ed-tech and AI to match advertisers to global audiences which is now drawing over half of US ad spending So what are some of the emerging business opportunities you are currently witnessing in the eCommerce and digital content ecosystem?

Sameer Kanodia:
So, we are largely in the space of providing content to the world of publishers and to the world of eCommerce. We also provide them software solutions. Now the next wave or opportunity that we see is not necessarily volume but its all about intelligence. So some of the themes that define the future in my opinion are AI driven content automation. Automation tasks like tagging, alt text editorial pre-fights to compress workflows and improve quality .I think that is going to be one important part. The other equally important part I think will be domain specific training data. So enterprises are realizing generic data isn’t enough. They need high quality curated data sets to empower AI models with accuracy and trust. And finally I think its going to be knowledge driven retail. So we link product content , buyer intent and channel rules to drive conversation, reduce return and improve the customer experience.

At Lumina Datamatics, we’re investing in these areas through various platforms and proprietary and tools. Our clients wants quicker launches, better discoverability, more measurable growth and real opportunity lies ahead in all these things.

Priya Dialani:
Definitely I think that was pretty much you know on point I would say and it is very fascinating to see how the eCommerce and digital content ecosystem is not just expanding but you know its evolving in ways that is blurring the lines between commerce content and community. I think we you know mentioned about the AI driven content automation and ensuring that we have domain specific training data. I think that definitely will help us create more immersive experiences and you know that I mean it is kind of fascinating to you know wonder about the role of technology and innovation that is fueling this transformation. When you are talking about the eCommerce market, Sameer I think if you talk about eCommerce market in India , it is booming and as a result organizations are investing heavily in mobile apps to provide seamless experience for their users. I came across a recent study which found that 81 percent of Indians use their smartphones for online purchases. And furthermore, five in 10 Indian customers almost always or frequently use their smartphones in store for price comparison or to view live product reviews. But the other side is customers are so demanding good experience around the clock. You know , you probably have if there is you know slow loading times or there is lack of adequate online payment options or unsolicited notification. I think they can turn a loyal customer into a very frustrated one pretty fast. So what are some of the persistent pain points you observe across global and Indian eCommerce players that remain underserved and how Lumina Datamatics is positioned to solve them.

Sameer Kanodia:
You brought out a very pertinent point in the beginning that the internet penetration is very high in India and is actually growing. So as a percentage of course is doing very well compared to the rest of the world but all said and done countries like in the US and western Europe the number of people on the internet is far larger as an absolute number relative to a percentage. Adding to that Lumina Datamatics really operates more on the international marketplace and not necessarily in domestic marketplace. But having said that the pain points are very similar, very surprisingly. So the pain points are same across boundaries. So whether it is USA or Europe or India, I don’t think it really matters. The shoe pinches in the same place. So they relate to a fragment. The issue with the eCommerce space is that they fragmented product data, inconsistent taxonomy, accessibility gaps and slower seller onboarding. So these issues translate to delayed launches, compliance risks, low volumes, low revenues and not very good customer experiences. So our approach is overall has been quite multifold. We have platform enables governance that enforce taxonomy and compliance at scale. That is one thing that we do effectively. The second part of course is integrating AI and human in the loop workflows that combine speed with human judgement. So yes, we do use artificial intelligence, but that does not necessarily eliminate the human touch in the work that we do. And finally of course the integrated customer experience and workforce management solutions. So catalog content and support operates as one connected system. So the blend of people, the blend of platform, data services allow us to address inefficiencies and limited growth. The outcome of course is operational consistency and strong trust with customers. But again as I said we operate more in the international market place not domestic. But regardless I think the challenges are very similar whether you operate in India, USA or Europe does not really matter.

Priya Dialani:
Definitely. And I think I am glad to understand that you know the pain points are same across boundaries and you know India is equally positioned in and aligned with the other countries in terms of the challenges that we are facing today. So I think whether we talking about you know customer engagement or issues good customer experiences that we want to deliver I think they will continue to affect the industry despite you know how we are moving towards a more future oriented industry and of course with Lumina Datamatics in the picture I think I am glad to know and understand that you are not just identifying these gaps but also actively positioned you know yourself as partner to eCommerce players with solutions that are both scalable and future ready and of course when you are talking about you know blending of people platforms and process the right set of tools and people and processes definitely make a huge difference in terms of innovating more solutions and you know solving these pain points. Moving ahead for example you I think a lot of people have been here before. You are merchandising for a fast growing brand. Your day to day goals are clear. Boost conversions, delight customers and earn more revenue fast. And you propose more dynamic product bunding on your site so that buyers get to choose specific product options to bundle together instead of having fixed pre-selected bundles. Now as an idea, I think everybody is on board. But as your merchandising and marketing team starts to set up your site to support these dynamic bundles, you find yourselves adding hundreds of even thousands of stocking units, the SKUs to accommodate for every potential bundle variation. And of course, you know, alarm bells go off as your boss or boss’s boss ask you can we really afford to add all these SKUs? So, I think you and your team are experiencing a dreaded SKUs explosion. So and of course we know that you know the SKUs are exploding and with that explosion and you know the rapid onboarding of sellers how do you manage quality control at scale?

Sameer Kanodia:
Well as you very rightly said that there are millions of SKUs and new sellers enter marketplaces a single error can erode confidence. So approach combines the best of automation and human expertise. So of course, we can use AI we also use the human intelligence to ensure that things don’t get messed up. The AI driven checks catch inconsistencies instantly while the experts focus on the edge cases where the judgement matters. All said and done, you can’t totally rely on technology. The human mind also certainly does play a role in this. So, at the same time as you continuously focus and look at feedback loops an analyze to keep improving accuracy, the balance of machine and human insights ensure that even when the volume surge, quality remains uncompromised. So the human part is of course very very important but of course technology helps us become more efficient and scale up in many ways.

Priya Dialani:
Truly I agree with you. I think when you are talking about managing, quality control and scale I think in today’s era we have this sheer number of SKUs. I think you know automation and human intelligence definitely both play a very important role with you know the AI powered automation probably you know where they can make sure catches inconsistencies. I think on the other hand we also need human input where critical judgement is required and that is where most of the organization fail because they kind of entirely rely on automation or AI driven is perfectly fine to some extent but then I think later on we definitely need human input in terms of growing and ensuring that the decisions that we are taking are aligned with the company’s overall growth. Moving ahead, as consumers increasingly adopt digital technology, the data they generate create both an opportunity for an enterprises to improve their consumer engagement and a responsibility to keep consumer data safe. Now these data including location tracking and other kinds of personally identifiable information are immensely valuable to companies and many organizations you know for example they use data to better understand the consumer’s pain point and unmet needs and these insights are definitely needed you know to develop new products and services or to personalize their advertising and marketing strategies. So how do you approach data security and data compliance especially when you know you are handling large volumes of client side product and consumer data?

Sameer Kanodia:
So you brought out a very pertinent point. How do you ensure data security and data security is in my opinion fundamental to trust. Now when you talk about data security is not necessarily doing things on the web or something of the nature but how do you ensure personal data is secured? How do you ensure financial data remains secure? So at Lumina Datamatis data security and compliance are embedded into our operational model. We are ISO 27001 certified, which means that our practices are independently audited at the highest global standards. We ensure all projects follow a rigorously documented information security policies with clear access protocols, ongoing internal audits and regular employee training. So we take this in serious manner so there are no loopholes and data security is not lost in any which way. We maintain transparency with our clients. If they required any specific contractual controls or additional reporting we adopt to these needs as well. There’s the flexibility combined with the certified security posture ensures client knows their data is handled responsibly consistently and with integrity.

Priya Dialani:
Glad to know about that Samir and you know I think when you are talking about data security and compliance are indeed non negotiable in today’s landscape especially with the growing regulatory frameworks and the sheer volume of sensitive you know business information we are dealing with. Just like a follow up question here is when you are talking about how the company has positioned itself in terms of ensuring data security and compliance are there certain steps that you take or certain aspects that you ensure when defining these data security and you know compliance strategies.

Sameer Kanodia:
Well we provide we ensure that all our data is in secured network. So, that is something very very important. What’s equally important that we also educate and train our staff to handle the data in the secured manner. So when data goes from point 1 to point 2 we ensure that our networks also make sure the data is not lost in some sense. We ensure this is done in very secured manner where data production is very safe and customers are not threatened by any which means.

Priya Dialani:
Right definitely make sense and I think when we are talking about living in this digital age I think entire publishing industry is undergoing the landscape change you know print newspapers and magazines are witnessing a decline in subscriptions you know of course print books are also navigating the digital era somehow but the industry contributes to India’s economic development overall, not only by promoting the learning and education, but also by creating employment for more than 1.2 million people an increase in enrollment rate and institutions, government initiatives on education and an increase in the overall education expenditure. All of these are the key growth drivers for the Indian publishing industry. While I understand Sameer that you know Lumina Datamatics caters to the more of the global atmosphere and landscape in terms of serving your clients in the publishing industry. I want to understand do you feel that Indian firms have that capabilities still in terms of shaping the future of digital publishing and content tech globally?

Sameer Kanodia:
Again I look at it at a very macro level what has happened is that over the last 50 odd years the IT industry has contributes to about 7 and a half percentage of India’s GDP and it has contributed to more than 5 and a half million jobs. India has totally has become a global IT powerhouse. So India is no longer just a back office for publishing or any other industry. It has become an innovative lab for the entire world. That’s the way I look at India. So for decades, Indian firms powered global publishing and content operations with scale and skill talent. However, the future is about intellectual property, AI and platforms. What excites me is the shift from execution to innovation. Indian companies are now designing cloud native platforms, embedding generative AI into editorial and catalog workflows and caring SAS products that are now not just used by global publishers but trusted by them at enterprise scale. So Lumina Datamatics we have made the shift of proprietary platforms reflect how Indian firms can productized decades of domain expertise into scalable technology. So combine that with India’s unmatched talent density and entrepreneur energy, we get a model where India does not just deliver publishing solution, it architect the future of content tech worldwide. So India has gone a long way from what we thought it was earlier and where we stand today in the world of technology.

Priya Dialani:
Definitely and I think that is a very interesting perspective that you shared that you know some of the capabilities that or the strengths that India as overall country has. I think it’s great to understand that how they can you know capitalize on these strengths and ensure that they are actually driving innovation in scalable tech solutions and you know it what really stands out is the way the Indian publishing companies are bridging diverse markets and audiences and proving that India is uniquely positioned to shape the next phase of content technology worldwide and I think our listeners will agree that this is a space to watch closely as the ecosystem continues to evolve. So one last question to you Sameer. Lumina Datamamtics is a global content and you know technology solutions providers and of course trusted by leading publishers and retailers like you mentioned and you know with your AI powered platforms like blue pencil and structured content workflows. I think the company position itself for faster and smarter publishing. Looking ahead what are the strategic priorities certain strategic priorities or future plans for Lumina Datamamtics?

Sameer Kanodia:
So when I reflect, I think our future is anchored in one principle which is delivering measurable outcomes to clients. So as I’m looking ahead, we have focus on a few strategic areas. So, we want to strength our platform ecosystem, continue to invest in the proprietary platforms and make publishing workflows more intelligent, accessible, and efficient. We need scaling global delivery and domain depth. Following the successful launch of our Philippines center and our acquisition of TNQ Tech, we will keep expanding our responsibility to provide resilience and speed at scale. This extends not just to publishing but also to a large scale eCommerce where accurate, high velocity content management is critical. And then of course on trust and compliance make accessibility, transparency and security an integral part of every engagement. So clients not only achieve efficiency but also meet global standards with confidence. At a broad level, what I am really going to focus on is scale and technology. I think if you combine the two together I think you got the whole world.

Priya Dialani:
Definitely and I think with today’s conversation navigating the emerging digital landscape will not be easy and but it is also one of the golden keys if you talk about india’s future growth and prosperities. Of course when you are talking about the opportunities, unlocking them will be a challenge for the government or for businesses large and small or for an average individual Indian. But you know, there will be gains along the pain. But if India can accelerate its digital growth trajectory, the rewards will be parallel to millions of businesses and hundreds of millions of its citizens. Thank you so much Sameer for taking out the time and effort to be on a podcast today and you know helping us understand that we will be witnessing a large change in the eCommerce and digital content ecosystem in the coming years and by implementing effective solutions which are tailored to certain needs and challenges businesses can create a seamless shopping experience that can meet customer expectations with any specific solutions required. I think Lumina Datamatics is at the forefront of it. So thank you so much it was a lovely chatting with you.

Sameer Kanodia:
Pleasure.

Priya Dialani:
Great. This is for our listeners, I hope you enjoyed today’s episode and learnt more about digital content ecosystem. Don’t forget to you know share it within your network and spread more awareness and let us know what is something that you would like to hear about in our next podcast episode. Until then you can listen to our previous podcasts on Spotify and other leading platforms. Thank you so much.